Take a look at all the comments at the Ecorazzi post about the “mad cow” episode of “The Simpsons.”

I’d love it if you would check it out and add your thoughts if you haven’t already.  Part of what moves this cause forward is YOU.  If we aren’t surfing the web and commenting as a community on the things that are important to those of us what have endured this, we’re really missing out.  I encourage everyone to comment on blogs, tweet about CJD on Twitter with the hashtag #curecjd, and put up their own websites about CJD.  Put up your a blog about your experience.  Share what you’ve learned with others.  Join the discussion.  Please.

This is part of the reason why I post to my blog more now instead of to the CJD Voice Yahoo group.  The group serves its purpose and you’ll definitely learn more there in a day than you will learn here at my blog.  However, I believe in making my thoughts about CJD public.  I think there is a power in putting it out in the world for all to see.

If we aren’t posting online about this disease, it may as well not exist. But it does, and it’s a horrific ordeal for anyone involved in it.  Get your message out there.  Don’t be afraid; be more afraid that it doesn’t get out there.

Admit it. We all love a bit of celebrity gossip. Who hasn’t been in a doctor or dentist’s office and snuck a peak at the latest issue of People magazine? Now, you don’t have to spend money on magazines or even guiltily flip through pages in public to learn what the rich and famous are up to when it comes to the environment. Just check out Ecorazzi, the latest in green gossip. According to the website, “We cover environmental, humanitarian, animal rights, and vegetarian issues as they relate to those in the spotlight. In the spirit of fair play, we’re quick to point how who’s slacking and who’s deserving of recognition.” So what does that mean? Well, you can read about the $5k organic, biodegradable bamboo bicycle sold at Colin Firth’s new Ecò Age store on Chiswick High Road in London. Or discover blogrolls by “Eco-Celebs,” such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Daryl Hannah (who also happens to have a new site of cool, eco-friendly products, called Love Life Goods tried & true…, and yes, she does claim to use everything she sells!). So indulge yourself and discover what vegan Natalie Portman and others are up to this summer!

Happy Father’s Day!

I have acquired 5 classic wooden chairs for my porch, as well as a nice pair of clogs! (and blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and coffee).

I would like to briefly comment on people that are “ecologically friendly”. To be more specific as to their genotype, the snobby anti-anti-left wing, virtually foaming at the mouth activists that are pro everything that is politically correct.
I was recently visiting a blog whose primary focus is news in the green world. I’m interested in that milieu and certainly am pro being green. … I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t be. A discussion was up about the movie 2012 and how world destruction and big effects made the movie crap. Much like Independence Day, the movie. They felt that big effects would draw in the crowds and essentially promote a movie with no story, etc…
What gets me the most is that people who are of that ecologically sound mind (or claim to be) are only using these particular ideals to bitch about everything else. You can’t truly be a promoter of a green and harmonious world and still be a whiner about EVERYTHING. Negativity and Positivity don’t work hand in hand. Below are my comments for the post:

In response to the comments until now;

if it gets people thinking about the reality of disaster (no matter if it’s artificial) – that is, if it get’s people thinking about the large scale world we live in… if people can think about our long now and future generations instead if even for the span of the movie… if people feel even a little bit like we’re united as one world (as the overall message of ID4 was)… than good for them. This movie has potential to inspire. … Who cares about eye-rolling crap and over the top effects? The world could use less negativity like that. Don’t be eco-aware and then be negative at the same time. Its our goal as aware people to be positive.

Ecorazzi har lunchat med PETA:s Ingrid Newkirk och passade även på att ställa en del frågor:

Om synen på höns och fisk för trettio år sedan: “they thought of them as fast moving potatoes or something”

Hon släpper en ny bok i dagarna (och hur underbar är inte bilden på bokens omslag..)

Ecorazzi.com är bra på väldigt mycket, inte minst på att nosa upp kända personers veganbekännelser där de berättar varför de blev veganer och liknande. Den här gången kommer den från författaren Dr. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson som bl. a skrivit ett flertal böcker om djurs känsloliv. “When Elephants Weep“, “The Pig Who Sang to the Moon” och “The Face on Your Plate” är några titlar. Han har också medverkat i dokumentärfilmen  “Processed People“, och det är från den som klippet ovan är taget.

PETA försitter som bekant aldrig ett tillfälle när det gäller medieexponering. Nu i s k svininfluensatider (heter numera Nya influensan) har de ansökt om att få iscensätta ett svinhus utanför Capitol för att människor som passerar ska få se och känna (lukten av) den vidriga djurhållning som ger bästa möjliga grogrund för virus och bakterier.

Läs mer hos Ecorazzi.com

When was the last time you went to a panel discussion of everything eco-aweosme? Next Tuesday, Cinco De Mayo (May 5th), please mark this down on your calendars! Yours Truly, along with Chloe Jo Berman of The Girlie Girl Army, Michael DuDell of Ecorazzi.com and VEGdaily.com & Elizabeth Olsen of Olsen Haus Shoes, will be discussing the latest and greatest in green lifestyle excellence.

May 5th, 8pm
North Face Store,
2101 Broadway (@ 73rd)
New York, NY 10023
(212) 362-1000
1 2 3 trains to 72nd st

*This is a FREE event w/ raffle prize!

Experience Life Magazine

- Don’t be worried about being perfect overnight…It took me 15 years to evolve into being a vegan. Just do something.”

- Rory Freedman, en av författarna bakom “Skinny Bitch”-böckerna, intervjuas i majnumret av Experience Life Magazine. Läs hela intervjun här

Källa: ecorazzi.com

Found these cool lamps designed by Kristín Birna Bjarnadóttir on Gizmodo.com thanks to one of Ecorazzi’s tweets. I wouldn’t mind having one in my bedroom.

För att nå ut till ännu fler människor har producenterna av dokumentärfilmen “Earthlings” släppt en ljudboksversion av densamma. Passar utmärkt för de som vill bli upplysta om den förfärliga verkligheten utan att behöva se den. Filmen bidrog ju till att Ellen DeGeneres blev vegan, men även hon menade att alla kanske inte klarar att se den i sin helhet. Joaquin Phoenix har bidragit med sin röst som speaker (precis som i filmen) och Moby står för musiken.

Källa: Ecorazzi.com

By Lynn Davidson

Are you a conservative? Then you’re a d***, and there’s something wrong with your brain. At least that’s what “24″ actress and comedienne Janeane Garofalo believes.

According to the former Air America radio host, a conservative starts out an “a**hole,” and the politics come later. She asserted, “The reason a person is a conservative republican (sic) is because something is wrong with them...It really is neuroscience.”

In this February 12 interview with the environmentalist celebrity blog Ecorazzi, Garofalo also claimed the “irrational” emotion center of the brain, the limbic system, is what creates conservatives (text reformatted, profanity edited, all bold mine):

The reason a person is a conservative republican is because something is wrong with them. Again, that’s science – that’s neuroscience. You cannot be well adjusted, open-minded, pluralistic, enlightened and be a republican. It’s counter-intuitive. And they revel in their anti-intellectualism. They revel in their cruelty.

I don’t know if you heard me talking to Jenny a while ago, but I was saying that first you have to be an a**hole and then comes the conservatism. You gotta be a d*** to cleave onto their ideology…

Sarah Palin didn’t escape Garofalo’s ire either. She said Palin is “small-minded and mean-spirited” and “is what the Republican Party has become: obstructionist, contrarians, small-minded, all of these things (sic).”

Garofalo raved that “[t]here’s definitely something wrong” with Palin, and she’s successful with some Americans “because she represents that lesser segment of the country. It’s about people’s lesser nature…”

Ecorazzi then dangled some bait:

E: I think it’s safe to say [Palin's] done some pretty nutty things.

JG: It’s not even nutty. It really is neuroscience. I truly believe that it has something to do with their limbic brain. I really believe that some people’s limbic brain dominates more than others. Our limbic brain controls all our emotions and it causes us to be irrational. Our limbic brain goes into action when we’re ecstatic, frightened, when we’re having sex. I really believe that if a neuroscientist examined the brain of somebody who identified as a conservative, they would find it’s wired differently.

Maybe a 9/11 conspiracy theorist who is fond of angry, vitriolic outbursts should take a look at the limbic system in her own brain for the excessive emotion and fright that she attributes to the right.

Garofalo also attacked Republican beliefs from Ronald Reagan forward, railing, “Their policies have destroyed us and most of the world–that’s a fact not an opinion.” She was baffled that “conservative republicans” (sic) (her sneer quotes) are allowed to participate in politics, asking “why do they still get a say?“

That certainly isn’t very inclusive. She also seemed a little confused about the difference between fact and opinion.

When discussing politics and neuroscience, perhaps Garofalo was referring to several questionable studies that tried to link political beliefs to the brain or childhood, or perhaps she was just projecting her own personal demons onto conservatives.

One thing is for sure-she didn’t get the message from the left that we are all supposed to put politics aside and come together for the good of the country. How “obstructionist,” “contrarian[]” and “small-minded.

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As I mentioned in my previous post, I thought it would be interesting if I posted a few useful links, whether it be entertainment- or green-living/environment-related. I visit these websites on a daily basis and they are pretty good for networking and educational purposes or simply for entertainment.

Care2:
The largest online community for healthy and green living, human rights and animal welfare. It looks like a green version of MySpace. After joining the site, you can have your own profile for your photos, interests, friends-list, etc. However, what makes this site more than a community of a bunch of wannabe-treehuggers is that you can actually do something for the causes you find important. There are hundreds of petitions you can sign or even start your own one(s), join groups, make friends, support causes with only one click, send eCards and create your own Care2 e-mail account. What I find the most interesting about this site is that it provides plenty of help and useful tips about green living, healthy recipes, family life, astrology, pets, family life, shopping, etc.

Ecorazzi:
Just admint it… who doesn’t love the good ole’ Hollywood gossips? If only they could say something new or interesting for a change, right? Well, Ecorazzi delivers the latest celebrity gossip….but the green version of it. Whether it is movies, music, fashion, events, animals or shopping you want to read about, you can find it all at Ecorazzi. As they say about themselves: “Ecorazzi exists to help celebrities further their good messages – and to offer the general public a way to follow their favorite celebs and perhaps learn something at the same time.”

A Beautiful Lie:
ABeautifulLie.org was created by the US band 30 Seconds to Mars after coming back from Greenland where they shot their latest music video for the song A Beautiful Lie. (By the way, the video can be watched on the site, too.) They are pretty dedicated when it comes to protecting the environment, human-and animal rights, and they created this website to share information and news about these matters. You can find videos, pictures, links and tips about how to protect the environment (some of them might sound obvious but it never hurts to pay more attention to them). What the majority of their fans appreciate the most is the message board where they can discuss whatever they find related to the subject. Oh, and I strongly recommend you read The Story aka the frontman Jared’s thoughts on the video shooting and visiting Greenland. Truly insipring…

Peta2:
PETA’s page for all the youngsters out there who are interested in vegetarianism, saving animals and being involved with these causes. Basically it operates like a street team: you get points for the actions you complete and these points can be used to get cool free stuffs (stickets, books, t-shirts, DVDs, pins, etc.). The staff is really sweet and eager to help you out with free posters and flyers you can pass out at your school. It’s also amazing how many new things you can learn about vegetarianism vs. eating meat, some of the videos are quite shocking… I’d say don’t watch them if you wanna cry, but…. DO watch them. You can’t be unaffected by them if you have a heart.

Ingrid Newkirk som är ordförande för och en av grundarna av PETA, världens största djurrättsorganisation, berättar i en intervju med Ecorazzi.com bl. a om hur hon kom att bli en djurvän i ordets egentliga mening:

Well, I grew up thinking that I cared about animals — and I truly did —
but I’m now almost sixty and back then it meant that you knew that
somebody kicking a dog was wrong or starving a horse, but you also
wore fur, ate animals and didn’t think there was an option to testing
cosmetics or shampoos on animals. So when I discovered that there
were compassionate choices and that all animals are important – which
I thank Peter Singer for that lesson – I suddenly realized that many things
in my life had to change or I couldn’t really ever call myself a person that
believes in kindness to animals.”

Hon förklarar också varför PETA använder sig av marknadsföring och aktioner som kan upplevas som provokativa av en del:

As for generally, we’re like a car wreck! You may not want to look, but you have to turn around and look anyway. And we’ve learned that if we want people to talk about animals when they’re worried about the economy or war or children or any number of distractions, that we have to be provocative, gimmicky, extraordinary and sexy – so we are. And it’s only because seriousness has a very small place in today’s society. If somebody is serious it’s usually about war or the economy, but there’s a war on the Animal Nations and there has been since the beginning of time.”

Du har väl inte missat dokumentärfilmen om Ingrid Newkirk och PETA: “I Am An Animal”.  Se ca 10 minuter ur den här:

It’s hard not to think of “green” as a second language when there are words you’ve never encountered before and have no idea what they mean. I’m not talking words like sustainability or organic. I’m talking the developed language of green, words that are hybrids of the English language and green verbiage.

These are some of my favorites:

Webecoist – A website for sustainable living and green design and oddities such as weird animals; they also produce weburbanist which is a site for architecture and urban street art…and utterly cool.

Locavore – a person (or animal I suppose) who only eats local food sources.

Ecomompreneur – I first came across this term on Twitter by a woman who was a self defined eco conscious individual, mother and entrepreneur. I though it was genius, though tough to say. Her page isn’t active on Twittter anymore though.

Ecopreneurist- Best describes the eco conscious entrepreneur with heavy emphasis on the business side of being a good human being.

Ecomodder – this is an individual who modifies their car to increase their miles per gallon. There is such a person(s) and they are a force.

Ecorazzi — You guessed it all all the news about green Hollywood you could ever hunger for. You can find it here.

Greenopia – (this term is registered BTW) Utopia is definitely green.

Greenwashing — saying something is green that simply isn’t. You are not green just because you recycle and a company isn’t green because their product is recyclable.

Got any favorite green words?

posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

Skådespelerskan Emily Deschanel från bl. a tv-serien “Bones” pratar på Sprig.com om att vara vegan och på så sätt även miljövänlig. Se videoklippet på Ecorazzi. Hon säger bland annat (fritt översatt):

Jag tycker att det som gör mig mest miljövänlig är att jag är vegan. Många människor inser inte vilken effekt kött- och mejeriindustrin har på miljön. Så jag har inga animaliska produkter. Jag använder inte skinn, vilket är färgat och de använder hemska kemikalier.”

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry, a la Blackwell's Organic

Blackwell’s Organic Gelato and Sorbetto is pretty damn good. My favorites are definitely the strawberry and the chocolate (and combining them! Wow). For those of us who like full, rich flavor (none of that watered-down, way-too-sugary crap), Blackwell’s is perfect. The strawberry tastes like amazingly fresh, satisfying strawberries! The chocolate is dark, smooth, dense, and sophisticated. Check out their full range at blackwellsorganic.com.

Check out the new menswear at our friend KAIGHT SHOP for some organic denim by the ethically handsome “Good Society” and some of the hard-to-find eco-friendly Tom’s (the ones without the toxic dead cow insoles, duh…).

Does going vegan give you psychic powers? For those of you who consider yourselves spiritual or into “energy”, and you still eat meat and dairy, you’ll definitely want to read this interesting article. The article was so interesrting, that according to Ecorazzi, Brandon Routh’s (Superman) character in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World will be a rocker with “vegan psychic powers”. I know some ladies(and gents) who wonder if he’s single…?

Mycket veganskvaller på Ecorazzi idag:

• Portia de Rossi, kanske mest känd för sin roll i serien Ally McBeal, är gift med komikern och pratshowvärden Ellen DeGeneres och båda är veganer. Portia har nu planer på att skapa ett eget märke med veganskor.

• De båda veganerna tillika skådespelarna Casey Affleck och Joaquin Phoenix ska göra en dokumentär. Tyvärr ska den inte handla om djurrätt eller veganism utan om Joaquins försök att göra karriär som rappare!?!

• Skådepelerskan Angela Bassett sa i en intervju med LA Times som publicerades den 16 januari att hon älskar veganmat och raw-food.

VegBuzz:

According to VegNews, PETA is partnering with the popular television personality Tim Gunn (Project Runway) to front a new video to be unveiled at New York’s Fashion Week this February in order to raise awareness of the atrocities of the fur industry. I’ll be there to see it – will you?

Speaking of Fashion, Some of the big trends to look out for in ‘o9 include beach-bum hoodies, windbreakers, striped button-downs, high-contrast plaids, and harrington jackets. The fortune tellers at Men.Style.com continue to promote garments and designers without an inkling of social or environmental accountability. Here’s a few ethical versions:

Faux-Foie Foibles. Ecorazzi recently covered the response from Chef Michael Ginor of Hudson Valley Foie Grasabout PETAs Faux-Foie Gras contest. He had this to say: “I think it’s great. People should always have alternatives. I also think it’s ridiculous in a sense, because you can find substitutes for steak. It’s another vegetarian thing. It’s not going to be foie gras, it’s obviously another PR campaign to try and get people to not eat foie gras. They’re not going to find an alternative to foie gras because there just isn’t one.”

Heather Mills med hund

Brittiska Heather Mills, ex-modellen som förlorat ett ben i en motorcykelolycka men kanske är mest känd för sin kontroversiella skilsmässa från ex-Beatlen sir Paul McCartney, berättar i en exklusiv intervju med Ecorazzi varför hon är vegan (fritt översatt):

…infektionen fortsatte uppåt och uppåt på benet och de fortsatte att amputera mer och mer…de satte mig på en rå-vegankost med vetegräsjuice och ekologisk juice – huvudsakligen grönsaksbaserad – och hela mitt ben bara slöt ihop sig och läkte inom loppet av några veckor.”

Men beslutet att bli vegan helt och hållet tog hon efter Live 8-galan 2005 där hon talade med Birhan Woldou, den etiopiska flickan som varit nära svältdöden 1985 men som nu kramades med Madonna på scenen. Heather ställde sig då frågande till varför Birhan önskade att alla skulle sluta dricka latte, och fick svaret:

Tre kilometer från en plats där vi har svältande barn finns fält efter fält med spannmål som exporteras till Europa för att utfodra boskapen i mejeriindustrin.”

Lindsay Lohan Goes After Palin On Environment, Gay Rights // Archives // ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip.

This article from ecorazzi makes me so proud of Lindsay Lohan.

I’ve always been a Lindsay Lohan fan, and I’m glad she is speaking out!

Go Lindsay (and Samantha!).

It is definitely no surprise that the “go green” idea is becoming increasingly more ubiquitous. And for good reason too. With an ever growing global population compounded by an insatiable need for basic resources (namely, food) and for energy to increase the quality of our lives, we need to figure out how we will live in order to be sustainable beings on…ONE earth, not multiple ones.

I mean, come on. I’m a vegetarian, a recycler, a carpooler, and a walker (most of the times). I even do research on solar cells in an idealized attempt to contribute to researching and developing alternative energy. You can almost always count on me to turn off unused lights, computers, TV sets, and other appliances. If anything, you’d think that these lifestyle habits are enough to designate me as a pretty green person. Yet, according to an online carbon footprint quiz, if everyone lives the way that I currently do, we’d need 2.9 earths!!! What about everyone else who lives in developed countries, like the U.S.? Five earths or more would probably be needed to accomodate everyone…and we’d be pretty much screwed.

Suddenly, images from Wall.E don’t seem so farfetched anymore. -_- I can’t help but be disappointed at myself. Evidently, there are more ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint, and that means more changes on my part. For me to reduce my ecological impact, I’d not only have to give up on living in a house and not driving a car, but I’d also need to recycle even MORE products and purchase more locally grown food products. That means taking more public transportation (more researching on bus/train schedules), biking (I can’t even remember the last time I biked), or purchasing a hybrid vehicle (another instance that reminds us that money just doesn’t grow on trees). In terms of living conditions, I’d need to figure out ways to convince my parents to install solar panels and energy-saving materials for our current home..or move into the apartments. I can already tell that the latter idea will not bode well with my mom. As for recycling, I need to become more educated on what can and cannot be recycled and more importantly…where. It seems possible that I can reduce my footprint on earth if I make the effort. *sigh*

As a voracious reader and subscriber of environmental/green news, I’ve managed to dig up a few sites, courtesy of EcoGeek, The Green Guide, EcoRazzi, and Good Magazine. They are my knights in shining armor. *_*

[ Earth 911 ] : A great reference site for you to look up your nearest recycling location, simply by typing in your zip code or item you want to recycle.

[ Green Wikia ] : Al Gore’s dream has come true, courtesy of Wales! Yet, somehow…I feel that Wikipedia decided to launch this component waaaaay too late in the game and suggests of a greenwashing (company putting a green spin on a particular product) effort. We’ll see how this goes.

[ Good - The Economy ] : The themes presented aren’t anything new to the green scene, but the video serves as a reminder of what we are and will face if we don’t end our fatal affair with oil. The effects extend beyond the realm of the environment and has drawbacks on our employment rate, food prices, etc.

[ CO2 World ] : Good Magazine creators obviously spent a lot of time laying out this carbon footprint analysis of the world. It’s worth a look…and read.

*END*

1. Meat-Head Machismo

Ecorazzi recently revealed that Hollywood frat-boy turned cowboy, Matthew McConaughey, will be using his sensual man powers to get you all horny for dead cows. The National Cattlemans’ Beef Association (NBCA) payed out some big bucks to lasso McConaughey into the gig. I listened to the spot and got so grossed out that I almost ralphed on my keyboard. Hey Matthew, can you pass the torture, disease, and ecological devastation…? Matthew is certainly not a Discerning Brute.

2. Organic is in Vogue

John Patrick of Organic (one of our favorite labels) has been nominated as a finalist in CFDA/Vogue’s Fashion Fund Award! Congrats Patrick!

3. Stuck on Teflon
I always had a suspicion that using teflon was toxic. Ideal Bite just sent out a little blurb on the cancer-causing coating that slowly poisons us.
I recommend using cast iron – especially because the iron is actually incredibly healthy for you!

4. Volunteer for Hog Days of Summer

Almost 70 pigs were lucky enough to be rescued by Farm Sanctuary which was asked by the state of Iowa to assist with rescue efforts. Farm Sanctuary is in urgent need of volunteers to help us care for more than 60 special needs pigs (some of whom are pregnant and expected to give birth any day!) just rescued from the Midwest floods. Massive rainfall escalated concerns of hog waste lagoons overflowing and flooding waterways with millions of gallons of hog waste. Use this opportunity to tell people about modern pork production and the cruel gestation crates employed by the industry, as well as the environmental devastation brought about by factory farming.

If you want to help, Farm Sanctuary is urgently seeking interns to volunteer at their New York Shelter. If you have experience working with farm animals email scoston@farmsanctuary.org. If you do not have direct experience working with farm animals, but would like to apply to help Farm Sanctuary’s shelter team in other capacities, please contact them today at 607-583-2225 ext. 222 or intern@farmsanctuary.org, or visit http://www.farmsanctuary.org/ for more information.

5. Spanish Parliament Goes Ape-Shit

The Spanish Parliament’s Environment Committee has passed a resolution granting limited rights to great apes. Dawnwatch reported that The Sunday, July 13 New York Times ran a lengthy and thoughtful article on the issue.

“The committee would bind Spain to the principles of the Great Ape Project, which points to apes’ human qualities, including the ability to feel fear and happiness, create tools, use languages, remember the past and plan the future. The project’s directors, Peter Singer, the Princeton ethicist, and Paola Cavalieri, an Italian philosopher, regard apes as part of a ‘community of equals’ with humans.

“If the bill passes — the news agency Reuters predicts it will — it would become illegal in Spain to kill apes except in self-defense. Torture, including in medical experiments, and arbitrary imprisonment, including for circuses or films, would be forbidden.